Manufacturing Felonies

How Driving Became a Felony for People of Color in Georgia

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Georgia’s far-reaching, anti-immigrant “felony driving law” was designed to push mothers, fathers and immigrant families to leave the state. Tragically, the law’s effects branch out well beyond its dangerous original intent.

A new report by Advancement Project and the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR) finds that the law not only created troubling consequences for immigrant families – it has also caused disproportionate harm in communities of color at large, especially among the Latino and Black populations.

The State of Georgia can and should regulate driving privileges. But creating a harsh criminal penalty is a bad public policy that ends up disproportionately hurting families of color.

Dissent is seen as a threat and we are getting into very dark times where hate is normalized and fascism is endorsed. This latest threat out of the White House is very dangerous and rooted in xenophobia and eugenics. At a time where the nation is reeling from a week of loss and hate crimes, when the world is experiencing the highest level of displaced people, Trump lashes out with intimidation. This is the erosion of the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act and takes us centuries back to the shameful beginnings of America.

In this heightened moment of political activity, young people are in need of an outlet to voice their concerns and feel empowered to impact what’s going on around them. The film, “The Hate U Give” makes an important point about what many young people of color experience, what they are witnessing and how to be politically engaged by it.

Today, a jury found Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke guilty of second degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm in the murder 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in 2014. Advancement Project’s national office released the following statement: